In a year of March Madness basketball that has been notoriously lacking in upsets, a top seed narrowly avoided being the first to fall.
On Saturday, March 29, the Florida Gators took on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Red Raiders led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but a late rally by the Gators helped them avoid elimination with an 84-79 victory.
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Forwards Darrion Williams and JT Toppin led the way for the Red Raiders’ offense, finishing with a combined 43 points.
The game was neck-and-neck throughout the entire first half, with neither team being able to create separation. The turning point came with around 11 minutes left in the second half. With the score locked at 55, the Red Raiders went on a 12-2 scoring run to capture a double-digit lead.
As time winded down in the game, Florida chipped away at Tech’s lead. In the game’s final minutes, Thomas Haugh and Walter Clayton Jr. caught fire from deep, and three straight three-pointers fueled a 9-0 scoring run that tied the game at 75. Williams responded with a layup for Tech, but Clayton Jr. buried a three-ball on the other end to put the Gators on top, 78-77.
From there, the Gators made all of their attempts at the line and held off the Texas Tech offense to secure the win.
The win comes just two days after the Red Raiders completed an epic comeback of their own, as they rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to shock the Arkansas Razorbacks in overtime.
The win sends Florida to the Final Four for the first time in 11 years. They will face the winner of tomorrow’s game between Auburn and Michigan State.
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